Bunk stake equipment



July 26, 1949. H, A, PUXON 2,477,202

I I BUNK STAKE EQUIPMENT I Filed Oct. 15, 1947 Patented July 26, 1949 2,477,202 BUNK STAKE EQUIPMENT Harold A. Puxon, Vancouver, British Columbia,

Canad Application October 13, 1947, Serial No. 779,431

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in bunk equipment, particularly for logging trucks and trailers, although it may be used on other types of vehicles, such as railway cars.

An object of the present invention is the provision of bunk equipment in which the stake is releasable and falls completely away from the bunk.

Another object is the provision of bunk equipment in which the stakes are interchangeable, and difierent sizes may be used for different jobs.

A further object is the provision of apparatus of the nature described including few moving parts.

A still further object is the provision of collapsible bunk equipment in which the control lever is not under tension or compression when the bunk is loaded.

Yet another object is the provision of bunk equipment of such a design that it may be very strongly constructed for heavy duty purposes.

Still another object is'the provision of bunk equipment in which the stake can be put in place while the mechanism is in its locking position.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists essentially of bunk equipment comprising a logging bunk, a support at one end of the bunk, a stake adapted to rest on the support, a tongue projecting inwardly from the stake above the bottom thereof, means on the bunk for removably gripping the tongue, and locking means for retaining the gripping means in the gripping position, said locking means being operable to release the gripping means to allow the stake to fall away from the bunk as more fully described in the followin specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view, partly broken away, with the stake removed,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the bunk,

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the apparatus, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the bunk stake.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I is a bunk which is constructed in any suitable manner. For heavy duty work, the bunk may be formed of side beams ll joined together at their upper edges by a supporting member l2, the latter being formed with a slot l3 therein at the end of which a removable stake is to be carried. A support [6 is mounted below and carried by this end of the bunk. This support consists of a socket arrangement adapted to receive the lower end of a stake is. When the stake is carried by the v 2 support, it extends upwardly l3 in the top of the bunk.

The stake I9 has a tongue 20 projecting inwardly therefrom above the bottom thereof. This tongue is positioned below the top of the bunk and it is preferably formed with a head 2| at its outer. end.

Suitable means is provided on the bunk for removably gripping the tongue 20 to lock the stake in its vertical position when resting on the support l6. For this purpose, a pair of opposing and co-operating locking arms 24 and 25 are pivotally mounted at 26 and 21, respectively, side by side on the bunk. A plate 28 may extend between the side beams H spaced below the top of the bunk to carry said locking arms. The locking arms are formed with corresponding recesses 30 and 3| in their inner surfaces adjacent the outer ends thereof for receiving the head 2| of the tongue 20 when the stake is in its operative position. The arms 24 and 25 may be locked in position while gripping the tongue head so that the stake is firmly held in position.

Means is provided for pivotin the arms into their locking positions, locking them in this position, and releasing said arms to permit the stake to fall away from the support l6 and the end of the bunk.

The inner surfaces of the locking arms diverge inside the pivots 26 and 21, as at 34 and 35. A locking wedge 36 is movably mounted between the diverging surfaces 34 and 35. When the wedge is moved outwardly in relation to the bunk, the outer ends of the locking arms are pivoted towards each other to grip the tongue of the stake. When said wedge is moved in the opposite direction, the outer ends of the locking arms pivot away from each other to release the tongue.

As the load on the bunk will roll off when the stake is removed, it is desirable that the person releasing the stake is near the opposite end of the bunk. For this reason, a control lever or arm 39 is provided which is connected to the locking wedge 36 at one end and extends along the bunk to a point adjacent its opposite end. The control lever or arm 39 has an elongated slot 40 in one end, through which a pin 4| extends, said pin connecting the arm to the locking wedge. One or more brackets 42 may be provided through which the control lever or arm 39 extends. The arm is provided adjacent its opposite end with a tongue 43. A control slot is provided in the side of the bunk, said slot actually consisting of a horizontal slot 44 and a vertical slot 45 extending downwardly therefrom. When the tongue 43 through the slot rests in the vertical slot, the pin 4| rests in the inner end of the slot 40 at the opposite end of the arm and the locking wedge 36 is held between the diverging ends of the locking arms 24 and 25.

In order to release the stake, the tongue 43 of the control lever or arm 39, which projects through the side of the bunk, is driven upwardly and then horizontally into the slot 44. The elongated slot permits this movement without moving the locking wedge. Then the tongue 43 may be driven along the slot 44 to withdraw the looking wedge and permit the locking arms to release 1e stake. The pressure of the load 'on the stake I forces the latter away from the locking arms so that it drops clear of the bunk.

After having released the stake, the operator may then move the control ,arm to return the locking arms to their locking position. After the load has been removed from the vehicle, it is only necessary to replace thestake in the support l6. As the :stake is dropped :intothesupport, the head 2| of the tongue drops :into the recesses '31! and 3.! of the locking arms. 1 With ithis arrangement, one man can .releasethe load and then replace the stake.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. Bunk stake equipment comprising a alogging bunk, a supportat-oneiend of the bunk, a stake adapted torest on thesupport, a tongue projecting inwardly from the stake :above the bottom thereof, locking arms pivotally mounted on the bunk for removably :gripping the tongue, and a locking wedge for we'dging the arms into andretaining themrin the gripping'lposition, said wedge being adapted to be withdrawn-to release the locking arms to allowthestake "to fall away-from the bunk. a

2. Bunkstake-e uinment comprising ailoggin bunk, a support at one :end of the bunk, a stake adapted to restonwthe support, a tongue project- .ing inwardly from the stake .aboveuthe :bottom thereof, locking arms pivotally mounted on the bunk for removabl-y gripping the tongue, a look ing wedge for wedging'the arms into and retaining them in thegripping position, a bar extend- 4 and being movable into and along the horizontal section to release said Wedge.

3. Bunk stake equipment comprising a logging bunk, a support at one end of the bunk, a stake adapted to rest on the support, a tongue projecting inwardly from the stake above the bottom thereof, a head formed on the outer end of the tongue, a pair of co-operating locking arms pivotally mounted side by side substantially midway between their ends on th'e bunk adjacent the support, said arms having corresponding recesses in their inner surfaces outside the pivots for receiving the head of a tongue, said inner surfaces diverging from each other on the inside of the pivots, and a locking wedge movable between the diverging surfaces of the arms to cause the latter to grip a head in the recesses thereof, said wedge being adapted to be withdrawn to release the locking arms to allow the stake to fall away from the bunk.

l. 'Bunk stake equipment comprising a logging bunk, a support at one end of the bunk, a stake adapted to reston the support, a tongue projecting inwardly from the stake above the bottom thereof, ahead-formed .on the-outer end of the of the bar for locking the bar ftotholdathewedge in the retaining position; a

- HAROLD A. PUXON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: Y

UNITED STATES PATENTS :Number Name Date 786,961 Drakes Apr; 11, 1905 2,210,614 Boyer Aug-6, 1940 2,256,623 Newman, Sr Sept. 23, 1941 

